Melbourne Named the World's Most Livable City for the Sixth Year in a Row

Melbourne, Australia, has been ranked the worlds most livable city for the sixth year in a row, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Ranking.

The list looks at which cities provide the best and worst living conditions, based on a number of qualitative and quantitative factors that fall into the broad categories of health, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

There are three category weights that play a factor in each citys score.

These categories include healthcare, which assesses the availability and quality of both private and public healthcare and the availability of over-the-counter drugs. Another category is stability, which examines the petty and violent crimes, terror threats, military conflicts, and civil unrest in a city.

The final category is the culture and environment of a city, which is based on factors like social or religious restrictions, the availability of sports and cultural events, censorship and corruption levels, the food and drinks that are available, and the consumer goods and services the city offers.

Several of the top 10 cities that made this years list come from Australia and Canada: mid-sized cities based in wealthier countries that host a relatively low population density.

Most Livable Cities

Below are the top 10 most livable cities, with a breakdown of their scores:

1. Melbourne, Australia: Overall Rating (97.5), Stability (95), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (95.1), Education (100), and Infrastructure (100).

2. Vienna, Austria: Overall Rating (97.4), Stability (95), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (94.4), Education (100), Infrastructure (100).

3. Vancouver, Canada: Overall Rating (97.3), Stability (95), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (100), Education (100), Infrastructure (92.9).

4. Toronto, Canada: Overall Rating (97.2), Stability (100), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (97.2), Education (100), Infrastructure (89.3)

5. Calgary, Canada: Overall Rating (96.6), Stability (100), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (89.1), Education (100), Infrastructure (96.4).

6. Adelaide, Australia: Overall Rating (96.6), Stability (95), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (94.2), Education (100), Infrastructure (96.4).

7. Perth, Australia: Overall Rating (95.9), Stability (95), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (88.7), Education (100), Infrastructure (100).

8. Auckland, New Zealand: Overall Rating (95.7), Stability (95), Healthcare (95.8), Culture and Environment (97), Education (100), Infrastructure (92.9).

9. Helsinki, Finland: Overall Rating (95.6), Stability (100), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (88.7), Education (91.7), Infrastructure (96.4).

10. Hamburg, Germany: Overall Rating (95), Stability (90), Healthcare (100), Culture and Environment (93.5), Education (91.7), Infrastructure (100).

The study, which included a total of 140 cities, found that many locations saw a negative impact on their scores due to factors like heightened threats of terrorism and unrest.

Paris saw a sharp decline due to terrorist attacks that have taken place there and in other parts of France within the last three years.

Most Livable Cities

Other factors that negatively impacted city scores included civil war and increased diplomatic tension between countries.

Talia Avakian is a digital reporter at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter at @TaliaAvak.

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